1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to a lock striker for automotive door lock device, and more particularly to a lock striker unit with a cover.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Some of the lock striker units for automotive door lock device, of the above-mentioned cover-possessed type, are shown in, for example, Japanese Utility Model First Provisional Publication 2-36573 and Japanese Utility Model Second Provisional Publication 2-43167.
The lock striker unit of such type comprises generally a lock striker and a plastic cover. The cover is designed to cover a base plate of the lock striker. Latching pawls are provided around the periphery of the cover, and notches are formed in the base plate of the striker. Upon coupling of the cover and the striker, the latching pawls of the cover are engaged with notches of the base plate to obtain a latched engagement therebetween.
However, due to inherent constructions, these conventional lock striker units have some drawbacks. That is, the latched engagement between the cover and the base plate of the striker is not so strong. Thus, it often happens that the cover gets out of place by only a slight shock applied thereto when, for example, the cover catches the cloth of a passenger who is getting on or off. Furthermore, providing the base plate of the striker with the notches reduces the mechanical strength of the base plate, and thus, that of the striker. Furthermore, some covers of such lock striker units are subjected to have a certain clearance between the cover and the base plate of the striker due to their inherent constructions. In this case, the clearance tends to contain water and dust, which causes not only lusting of the base plate but also lowering of the external appearance.